Modification procedure for battery storage and grid: support
Battery storage modification procedure: we support you in adapting your project and prepare all the submission documents required.
During the development phase of storage projects, adjustments are sometimes required to incorporate new circumstances, technical improvements or requirements from the authorities. We support you comprehensively in adapting and extending your project, from the technical analysis to the preparation of all the submission documents required.
Whether a change triggers a separate procedure depends on how far it interferes with the permitted project. Under electricity law, a change is considered substantial in particular if it is likely to cause hazards or considerable nuisances for people, or to impair public interests. This can be a larger storage capacity, a different layout or changed plant technology. In cases of doubt, the authority determines, on application or ex officio and by administrative decision, whether the change requires a permit, and work on a change that requires a permit may only begin once the decision is final. The thresholds differ noticeably between the federal provinces: in Upper Austria, stand-alone storage systems of up to 1,000 kW of grid-effective capacity are exempt from the permit requirement, whereas in Lower Austria the threshold is considerably lower. Even exempt plants must, after a substantial change, continue to comply with the state of the art and with electrical safety, and must be coordinated with the grid operator in advance. Anyone developing in stages should bear this in mind from the first submission. A comparison of the permitted existing plant and the planned change, for example in plans and in the technical report, makes the authority's assessment easier and avoids queries.
The technical rules for generating plants expressly also apply to substantially modified plants; the connection concept, protection settings and evidence must then be reassessed. If a storage system is added to an existing plant in parallel operation, this may require coordination with the grid operator and an adjusted grid access contract. If additional containers are installed, the space required, separation distances, firefighting water demand and operating noise also change, and the noise is assessed at the nearest residential areas. Additional capacity may also cross a further threshold, for example an obligation under provincial law to appoint a plant manager or the scope of fire protection requirements for stationary storage. If the land-use zoning is not sufficient, it must be adjusted first. It therefore makes sense to take stock of the existing decisions, conditions and expert reports. With sound technical knowledge and a structured approach, we create the basis for your storage and grid system to be connected safely, economically and predictably, and we provide meaningful assessments and recommendations.
The basis is the original permitting procedure for battery storage. For technical changes, we adapt the electrical engineering design with grid calculations. Whether changes affect the financing is clarified by the technical due diligence for storage and grid. For PV projects, there is the modification procedure for agri-PV and ground-mounted PV.
